It took Marco a while to answer, and during his silence I knew he was pissed. About one of his associates flipping on him, about Marco putting me in that situation, about me getting kidnapped, about me getting hurt. I don't know what everyone told him, but it can't be good if he's calling while in Italy. The whole family knew that when he was doing something for the mafia business he doesn't take or make call towards his family. He always said it was too dangerous, and that his enemy or even his alliances could piss him off by hurting his family. Marco wasn't supposed to be back till the day before the annual mafia business party.
Marco still hadn't answered me by the time my thought process about what everybody told him was over. So I took this time to look around the hotel room, it had a queen size bed, the bedding was a simple off-white coloring that was folded down for the guest, there was two nightstands by the bed both with lamps on them. I walked to the closet, it was a decent size but it wasn't too big which was fine by me. The room was a little larger than I expected, there was a small living area with on loveseat and two plush chairs, a small entertainment with a small flat screen tv. Checking out the bathroom it was a five piece, it was pretty much what you would see in a bathroom. A sink, a toilet, a separate shower will a rainfall shower head and a clawfoot tub, that looked so relaxing.
By the time I was through checking out the room Marco still hadn't answered me. I was getting fed up by his silence. All I wanted was to take a relaxing bath, take my meds and crawl into bed forgetting about today. That's what I wanted, no what I needed. But with Marco's prolong silence I knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. I don't have time just waiting for Marco to talk, but I also knew that if I hung up on Marco it would only get worse. Who knows what he would to if I did that, maybe go after Luca, call in all his favors from the alliances and go to war. Which in my mind would be a very bad thing right now for everyone in our family. If Marco doesn't talk soon then I'll start and after the day I had I can assure you that that would be a bad thing.
"Marco if you don't start talking then I'll hang up the phone. I've had a bad day and just want to rest." I explained to him.
"Don't start Belle." Marco said calling me by his nickname for me. "Why the hell didn't you call me after everything went down?" Marco questioned me.
"Because one of your rules when you're working on something for the business; is not to call you but wait till you get back to tell you what when down while you were gone. I was abiding by the rules Marc." I told him.
"I don't give a damn about the rules, at least when it's about you. You could have called me and I would have picked up Belle, you should know that. But no, I've been getting multiple calls from dad, Gabe, and Evan telling me that Luca had taken you and tortured you. Not to mention that Gabe said that Luca drugged you. Am I missing anything Ariabelle?" Marco asked furiously.
"Luca might have..."I stopped. I couldn't get the words out about the video.
"Might have what Ariabelle?" Marco asked getting impatient.
"Luca might have made a video. When I woke up after Luca knocked me out, he was sitting in front of a camera. Marco, he was videotaping what he was doing to me." I told him.
"I"m going to kill him!" Marco shouted into the phone. "Anything else I should know about?" he asked me.
"The drug or serum whatever you want to call it, it made me have no control of my body. Luca said that it would be like I was a guest in my own body. He also said that the serum would make me do something that you wouldn't approve of. Marco I think that if I hadn't escaped Luca may have done something even worse that would piss you off." I explained to him, a little afraid of what he would say.
"What did the serum do? I have a feeling that whatever happened, happened after Evan was done stitching up your wounds." Marco concluded.
"I...um...I got married." I said quietly. "Marco I got married to a biker, a biker that belongs to my father's MC."
"Damn it, and don't you dare call him your father. He may have made you, but he wasn't the one who was there for you and Gabe, who raised you and Gabe like his own. My dad, our dad did that. That scum bag doesn't deserve to have you apart of his life,if he even recognizes who you are he should count himself lucky he knows you grew up into a beautiful women. I know dad is lucky that you're in his life and I'm lucky you're in my life." Marco told me softly.
I broke down after hearing that from Marco. It's true Marco is known to be cold and emotionless but when he's talking to me I get to see a different side to him. I'm forever grateful that he isn't harsh or cold with me. I hear through the phone Marco asking me not to cry. I slowly calm down and my breathing evens out. I hear Marco take a breath of relief.
"Belle I know this is hard for you right now, and seeing as how you're still married; I take it that the biker didn't want an annulment or knows you were drugged when you guys married. The situation here in Italy is getting fixed and the men don't need me here anymore, so I'm coming home early. I will stop by to see how you are doing and speak to your husband. I don't want you living at the bikers clubhouse, so find a place for you two, whether you like it or not I will be paying for the house. And don't stress about the party, if you get any proposal I'll handle it, you might just have to wear your wedding ring that night." Marco said.
"Alright." I told him.
After that we hung up the phone, I went into the bathroom and started running water in the claw-foot tub. While the water was running I heard a knock at my door, when I opened the door I saw that it was the elderly lady that checked me in. The elderly lady was standing there in the hallway with a throw blanket and two cups of what smelled like hot chocolate.
"Hi dear, this throw blanket goes with the couch in this room, so I figured I'd bring it up along with some hot chocolate." she said with a little twinkle in her eyes.
What the hell is going on here? I knew it would seem rude to not to take the blanket and hot chocolate. I went to take the blanket and cup out of her hands, I gave her a smile small as a thank you and went to shut the door but she placed her foot in the door to stop it from shutting. Now really what the hell is going on? She let herself into my room, while I had my back turned away from her I rolled my eyes, and I only do that when I'm annoyed. Heading towards the bathroom I saw that I had a decent amount of water in the tub and the water was at the right temperature.
When I came out of the bathroom the elderly lady was still there. She was just sitting on the couch waiting for me to come out of the bathroom. I needed my space after the day I had, but this lady wasn't going to give it to me right at this moment. I think she had something to tell me, maybe she thought I was just passing through and wanted to warn me about the motorcycle club right at the edge of town. When she saw me standing in the middle of the room she patted the spot right beside of her. I cautiously sat down beside her, I was sort of scared about what was going to happen, she could be an axe murderer for all I know.
"No offense lady, but I would really like to rest." I told her nicely.
"Now Elle is that any way to talk to your grandmother?" she teasingly asked.
I stiffened up when I heard that name. The only people that was aloud to call me that when I was a child were my grandparents. But after my father left, calling me that nickname was strictly off limits. When I finally looked up at her my mind processed why she looked so familiar to me. She had the same brown eyes and brown hair and facial feature just like daddy dearest. Why didn't I see that before? Out of all the hotels out there I just had to walk into the one my long lost grandmother owns. How stupid of me. I'm trying to stay far away from my father and his side, but I guess karma is screwing me over.
If my grandmother is here, then who else will pop into my life when I don't want them too. Getting up from the couch and walking over to the window, staring into the dark night outside my window, after a few moments to catch my thoughts I looked back to her and asked with my voice void of any emotions, "how?"
"Pardon my dear?" she asked in her sweet voice that makes so many memories return.
Before having old memories filled my head, I needed to know. "How did you find out who I was? Not even my own father remembers what his only daughter looks like." I explained to her, while my hands found their way to my throat where only an hour and a half ago my father was strangling me.
"I'm not as dense as your father. Plus I remember what my grandchildren looks like, and your name helped as well. Ariabelle is such a unique name, not everyone has it, I knew you looked familiar as soon as you walked into the building, but seeing your credit card with your first and last name it all clicked." she explained to me.
But I still couldn't believe it. After all these years of wanting to have an explanation of why my father left and never returned, was all in this town. But I don't know whether I wanted answers or not, the rest of my family could be in this town or in the biker club. I have never wanted either of my brothers with me than I do right now. Who would have thought going against Luca's men I would've been so calm and clear-headed, but seeing my paternal side of the family I am nervous as fuck. What is going on with me? Nothing ever scares me since I started working in the family business right beside of Marco.
I was so into my thoughts that I didn't hear her come up behind me until I felt her hand on my arm, I jumped. I looked down at her face to see that she was giving me an apologetic smile, her eyes started to rake over my face and started to go down to my neck where her eyes had anger in them. Of course she would see the handprints on my neck, I'm sure she knows who did them from my earlier comment about my father. No not my father, he's just a sperm donor, Alanzo is my father. He's the one who has been there from mom, Gabriel, and me.
Watching what her hand move from my arm to my throat, I became nervous...once again. I felt her fingers slowly brush across my neck, I flinched. My neck was still sore and if it wasn't for Killer or Mathis I don't think he would have stopped, and quite frankly I was scared to go back to the clubhouse. I've been shot at and came out with no bullet wounds, people have tried to stab me but I had no stab marks. The only time I've ever physically been harmed was by Luca and now by him. There is only so much a girl can take in two days. Today's events wore me out and now my back is beginning to become sore, I knew I needed that bath and my painkillers right away.
Pushing away from her, I walked towards the bathroom and shut the door. Reaching down to feel the water and it was still at the right temperature. Pulling my shirt off as gently as I could as not to make my back anymore sore than it already was, thank god I didn't put a bra on or else that might have irritated my wounds even more. Now it came down to pulling my jeans off that was easy because I didn't have to bend down, along with my pants coming down so did my underwear. I slowly lowered myself into the water, tensing up a little when the water hit my back. In the other room I could hear my hotel room door shut as my grandmother left. This gave me time to think about everything going on.
I started to replay the past two days in my head. First there was Las Vegas, Marco getting betrayed by someone who worked for him, then leading me into a trap and getting captured by Luca. Luca hitting nine times with a whip and then placing his serum into my body, me killing more of Luca's men. Evan stitching up my wounds and me exiting the safehouse to head to a club where I met Mathis. Who would have thought that meeting Mathis would bring people from my past into my future? I mean karma must really hate me first there was my long lost older brother Killer, then re-meeting my father, and now my grandmother.
But also meeting them brought Luca into their lives. I know they need to know that the person they were trying to kill was me, but I couldn't bring myself to tell them. This is my fight and I will be the last person standing, even if it means more scars on my body. I'll do whatever it takes to kill Luca for kidnapping me and using me to piss Marco off. I also know that I need to tell the club who I really am. Killer's long lost sister, I don't think anyone will see that coming in anyway. I would still like to know how the hell Killer figured it out, hell not even my father knew who I was the moment he saw me.
I just can't wrap it around my head that my own father could choke his daughter out. Even though he didn't remember who I was, nobody should ever do that. I guess I do owe Mathis and Killer, I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for them. I just hope that these bruises fade by the time Marco comes to see me, it'll be war if he sees these marks, that I don't doubt. But again how could my father try and choke me out? Can't he see the resemblance between us at all? I know it's been eleven years since he left, but damn I don't think my face changed that much to the point he couldn't recognize his own daughter.
After an hour in the tub thinking about my father, I got out and walked over to the sink where the painkillers lay. Taking the medicine and then wrapping a towel around me, and entering the room I went towards my bag and grabbed another set of clean night clothes and entered the bed so I could try to get some sleep. The painkillers helped me fall asleep faster than if I didn't take them, but that didn't mean I got a peacefully sleep. All throughout the night the memories of what happened in Vegas was coming to the forefront of my unconscious mind. All the things Luca did to me, it was like I could feel the whip coming down on my back for another nine times.
When I woke up covered in sweat and tears coming down my face it was about seven in the morning, I knew that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep so I decided to get up and change, and head try to the clubhouse. I knew Mathis would get worried about me, I have to give this marriage a try. Changing into jean shorts that came down to my mid-thigh and a plaid top, I was ready to see some bikers. Grabbing my keys I went down the hallway and onto the elevator that arrived on the second floor within two minutes, arriving on the main floor I see no grandmother behind the desk and quickly walk to my car.
Turning on the car and putting the car into the reverse, heading out of the parking lot. Driving towards the clubhouse I could feel my nerves coming up because of yesterday, and before I know it I'm at the clubhouse and Mathis is running out of the clubhouse towards my car. As soon as turn off my car Mathis opens my door and pulls me into his arms. I could help but put my arms around him and hug him back. I was so shaken up about last night and knew I need some physical comfort. But if I looked shaken up Mathis looked worse, he looked like he didn't get any sleep at all last night. He had bags underneath his eyes, before I even knew what I was doing my hand was at his cheek trying to rub away those dark bags. Looking at Mathis's eyes, they held a sense of relief, making me wonder what happened last night after I left.
"Mathis what's wrong?" I asked sweetly.
"It's noth-" Mathis cut off when he saw my facial expression. He sighed before pulling me even closer. "Alright after you left Blade and I got into for strangling you, there was this huge fight that got interrupted."
"Interrupted by what or who?" I asked shockingly that Mathis would even get into a fight over me.
"We don't know. All we know is that one of the prospect came back right in the middle of the fight between Blade and I beaten and bloody. He said he didn't know who beat him only that he was to deliver a message for Blade." Mathis explained while tensing up.
"Babe what was the message? Maybe I can try and help." I told him.
Mathis opened his mouth to say something before closing it again. I knew he was going to tell me no, then he thought back to yesterday when I almost single-handedly took out the enemy. I also knew that he didn't want me anywhere near this mess that someone created for the club. Mathis slowly started to shake his head before looking back down at me, I guess Mathis saw something in my eyes because Mathis kissed my forehead before telling me.
"The message we think is in riddle form, someone wrote it down for Blade to think it over." Mathis started then stopped.
"Mathis what is it?" I pleaded with him.
He took a deep breath before saying, "tick tock goes the clock. Tick tock goes the Belle. Tick tock the time runs out. Better find the Belle before it's gone for good."
"Mathis how was the word bell spelled?" I asked vigilantly.
"Aria how does that even matter?"
"Because it might be important." I said smacking him upside the head.
"Fine, bell was spelled B-e-l-l-e. Now tell me why." Mathis demanded.